Improvement in pruning-shears



1.1. BRISTOW.

Pruning-Shears.

Patented Dec.29,1877f1.

N0.158,2Ao.

. Way/M UNITED STATES PATENT CDFFIcE.i

J OHN J. BRISTOW, OF WIIITLEYS POINT, ILLINOIS;

IMPROVEMENT IN PRUNlNG-SHEARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 158,240, dated December29, 12574,; application iiled ,March 8, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, JOHN J. Barsrow, of Vhitleys Point, in the county otlMoultrie and State of Illinois, have invented certain Improvements inPruning-Shears, of which the following is a specification:

My invention has relationito pruning-shears 5 and consists in thecombination with a pair of shears, connected to an extension of thehandle by levers pivoted at both ends, of a spring connecting saidshears and handle-extension, so as to automatically separate the jawsafter each cut, as hereinafter more fully described, in such a mannerthat the jaws will be auto lnatically separated after sevcrin g abranch.

Figure l is a plan of my invention.

I construct a shears with a short cuttingedge, A, and long levers B B,with reverse motion; or, to be better understood, so that when thelevers B B are separated the cutting-'edges-A are brought together, andthe reverse. To the ends of the levers B B, at O C, I join short leversD D. I construct a ferrule for a handle, with an extension, E, ofsufficient length to unite the two levers D D with it, at or near theferrule, with a bolt, so as to admit of lateral motion; and the othervend of the extension is united with lever B,

at F, by a spring, G, in such a manner that, when the force which isapplied to the handle, which is inserted at the ferrule, to perform thecutting, is relaxed, the spring will draw the levers together andseparate the cutting-edges.

The operation is as follows: A handle is attached to the shears ofsufficient length, the cutting-edges of the shears are placed againstthe lin1b\or branch to be cut, and force is applied by pushing, whichacts on the short levers D D, which separates the long levers B B, andperforms the cutting by bringing' the edges together.

The object of the spring G is to bring the levers B B together andseparate the cuttingedges, preparing it for the next operation.

The combination, with the shears A B B, levers D D, and4handle-extension E, of the spring Gr, connecting said shears andeXtension, as shown, so as to automatically separate the jaws after eachcut, substantially as described.

JOHN J. BRISTOW.

Witnesses:

`W. L. HAYDON, E. E. Waeconnn.

